Serra

Our 2011 Costume Contest winner ($500 cash prize) is Serra Hirsch from NYC for her Photostrip and Prisoner costumes (below). Her devotion to inspire people with her costumes has inspired us to create this separate page where you can get to know Serra and view her creations. (See our official announcement on the 2011 Costume Contest Winner Hall of Fame page...) Not only has Serra’s enthusiasm for costume-making inspired people to build their own costumes, it has even inspired filmmaker friend, Mary, to create this not-to-miss short movie documenting the life of one very passionate costume-make... (Shot, Edited and Directed by Mary C. Matthews) A bit about Serra… As the first American child in a very French household, Serra didn’t get to dress up much for Halloween. She wasn’t allowed to trick or treat because the concept of getting candy from strangers seemed crazy to her native French parents. However, at the age of 12 she slept at a friend’s house and discovered the magic of Halloween. From that day on she dressed up on almost every Halloween. “The first time I went to the Halloween parade in NYC was around 96 or 97,” recalls Serra. “I loved the audience participation, the energy and the atmosphere.” Her first "installation" costume was the "Eggs and Bacon" costume in 1999. “The reactions and smiles and interactions that it generated was what did it for me,” says Serra. “ I loved it (minus the kids who threw eggs at me later on in the evening and the drunk guy who took a bite out of my Styrofoam bacon). What I love when I make a successful costume is how it is neutrally clever - it works in any language, appeals to any age, gender, or social group... just generates good old-fashioned smiles." Serra has her own puppet/prop building business and also does voice work.

Coolest Photo Booth Picture Strip Costume

Homemade Photo Booth Picture Strip Costume

The first step in building this giant Photo Booth Picture Strip costume was to pick the outfit I was going to wear on the night of the parade (paying careful attention to the weather forecast!) a few weeks prior and posing for a bunch of stereotypical “photo booth” pics wearing that outfit. I created the … Read more

Coolest Prisoner in a Visiting Booth Costume

For this Prisoner in a Visiting Booth Costume I made a two sided “prison visiting booth” out of foam core which I covered with cheesy wood paneling contact paper and a clear plastic film to recreate the glass between the two sides of the “visiting booth.” I attached two identical black phone handsets with old … Read more

Coolest Eggs and Bacon Costume

This Homemade Eggs and Bacon Costume is the easiest costume EVER. I cut out a large piece of wavy edged cardboard I painted white to create the “egg white,” making an opening for my head in the middle. Got two pieces of Styrofoam that I shaped and painted to look like Bacon and affixed them … Read more

Coolest Fire Hydrant Being Peed on by a Dog Costume

Homemade Fire Hydrant Being Peed on by a Dog Costume

Using foam core and brick contact paper, I created a building wall where it meets the sidewalk, including a sidewalk all the way to the curb (always overly ambitious, I also built part of the street with the drain and the manhole cover, but those had to be cut from the costume due to size … Read more

Coolest Damsel In Distress Costume

For this Damsel In Distress Costume I used a large piece of foam core and made an opening just large enough for my head to fit through near the top on one end of it. I painted the foam core to look like rocks/pebbles. Using other cut pieces of foam core painted brown, I made … Read more

Coolest Porcelain Goddess Costume

For this Homemade Porcelain Goddess Costume I made the back wall with a large piece of foam core recovered with checkered yellow and white contact paper. On this back wall I affixed the toilet paper roll off to the side and the porcelain toilet tank that I would wear over my head like a hat … Read more

Coolest Deer over a Fireplace Costume

I built a fireplace with a mantle out of foam core and covered it with brick contact paper. The Homemade Deer over a Fireplace Costume was affixed to me using 2 straps/belts that crisscrossed in the back and attached to the foam core above and below the mantle. On the mantle itself, I created a … Read more

Coolest Claw Arcade Game Costume

For this Claw Arcade game costume, I put myself inside the game as one of the “stuffed animals.” I built the arcade box with foam core, using clear plastic film to reproduce the glass (the front one didn’t close completely so I could talk/breathe comfortably without claustrophobia setting in). At the bottom of the inside … Read more